Elimination Tournament
by Kurayami-Tenshi
Summary: The Bladebreakers are entered into another tournament, the exclusive Elimination Tournament. Chapter 13 up! “Go Drigger!” he yelled in reply. “Tiger Claw!”
1. Chapter 1:It Starts

KurayamiTenshi: Hey peoplez! Hope you like my fic…it's my first one, so please review:puppy dog eyes:

Mysterious voice: Aren't you forgetting something?

KurayamiTenshi: Hmm? Forgetting what:looks away innocently:

Mysterious voice: sighs She doesn't own anything, so don't sue her…she probably isn't smart enough to understand the word 'sue' anyway…

KurayamiTenshi: Hey!

Mysterious voice: Just get on with it already.

KurayamiTenshi: Well, here it is…

**Elimination Tournament**

**Chapter 1 - It Starts**

The alarm bell rang once.

No response was seen from the sleeping boy, whose dark blue hair was splayed over the blanket.

The alarm bell rang again, this time at a louder, higher pitch.

Still no response.

"Tyson! Breakfast!" bellowed an old man dressed in a kendo uniform, standing at the door. Instantly, the boy was awake, snapping his eyes open and practically jumping up.

"Got'cha there, lil dude," chuckled the old man.

"Grandpa!" groaned Tyson.

"You've got yer pals waitin' for ye outside," informed Grandpa before going outside to get some more 'willing' students.

Tyson hurriedly changed before dashing outside.

"Hey guys . . ."

Standing outside were the Bladebreakers, (A/N is it one or two words?) with Mr Dickinson. Which could only mean one thing . . .

"A TOURNAMENT!"

Max and Rei laughed as Tyson raised his fist with Dragoon clenched in it. Kenny shook his head before turning his attention back to Dizzy, while Kai stood some distance away from everyone else.

"Correct, Tyson," said Mr Dickinson with a smile. "The tournament is called Elimination."

"Elimination?" echoed Rei questioningly. "What's with the name?"

"To get to the finals, you have to not lose a battle. The most you can lose to qualify is one round for that battle, compared to last time when you had to win two out of three. This is to make sure that the teams that ultimately qualify for the finals all have equally strong players, with the exception of maybe one slightly better blader," answered Mr Dickinson. "So basically they only want a team to qualify that has no stragglers."

"Oh."

"Well, I'll leave you boys to train. Go to the airport at 10 am sharp on Wednesday next week. I'll see you at your arrival airport; I promised that I'd take another team to the hotel as well as you. Oh, and be sure to be nice to the other team alright? See you then boys."

"What are we waiting for?" yelled Tyson enthusiastically, preparing to launch. "Let it rip!"

"Hey guys, look at this," call Kenny about five minutes into training. Everyone crowded around, except Kai who preferred to stay a distance away. (A/N am I the only one who seems to see that whenever the team's together, Kai seems to be standing a little away from everyone else?) "The current champions of the Elimination Tournaments are a team called the Dark Angels."

"Dark Angels?" repeated Max, leaning closer to the laptop.

"Yes. The entered last year, and it seems they didn't lose a single match in the whole tournament, not even in the finals!" Kenny was looking very panicky about now.

"Calm down, Chief," said Dizzy.

Tyson relaunched Dragoon and watched it zigzagging along the ground.

"The Dark Angels, huh? Well, this year they're gonna lose to the Bladebreakers!"

"Oh yeah! Go Emerald! Whoohoo!"

Anyone watching the girl dancing precariously on the edge of the bey dish would have thought her insane…if it wasn't for the fact that her beyblade was trashing her opponents . . .

"Yay!" cheered the girl, doing a wild spin and nearly toppling off the edge of the dish.

: Friends sweat dropped anime style:

"Uh, Akai? People are staring . . ." ventured one of them.

"Huh?" For a moment, Akai's startling green eyes registered confusion. "Oh! Good match," she told her stunned opponent as she caught Emerald and jumped down. She hugged her, by now in-shock opponent before joining her friends.

Her friends grinned at her. She smiled back, turning the heads of many in the park.

Akai had a developingfigure most girls her age would die for, with a delicate looking face. Her emerald green eyes added an air of mystery to her Asian good looks and pale complexion accented by her raven-coloured hair.

This particular group of people were very similar in appearance, all having the same jet-black hair, but oddly enough, none having the traditional brown eyes common to people of Asian descent.

Meia, the girl who had spoken to Akai earlier, had deep, lavender coloured eyes, with her hair cut stylishly short.

"Let's go back to the hotel," suggested another girl, this time with dark blue eyes.

"Good idea, Miyako. Let's go! Don't fall behind, Reni," sang Akai cheerfully as they set off.

A week later

Tyson's grandfather stood over a sleeping Tyson, a devilish glint in his eyes. In his hands was a bucket of water, and a few things floating in it that looked suspiciously like ice blocks…

"Ahhh!" yelled a wet and annoyed, but wide-awake Tyson.

Grandpa shoved a clock in his face. /9:55 am? Hmm . . .why does that bother me/

Tyson looked up at a calendar. Wednesday. Suddenly everything clicked.

"I have FIVE minutes to get to the AIRPORT! Bye Grandpa!" shouted Tyson as he raced outside, after hurriedly changing. Never had he sprinted so fast.

KurayamiTenshi: So…what do you think of it? Please R&R and tell me what you think…

Mysterious voice: You already told them that at the start

KurayamiTenshi: Shut up! Uh…yes…see you soon?


	2. Chapter 2:Wait for Me!

Kurayami_Tenshi: Hi! Thank you so much for reading.and a special thanks to AznAngel for reviewing! My first reviewer! YAY!!!  
  
Mysterious voice: She's gone hyper.again.  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: On with the fic! ::dances around madly::  
  
Mysterious voice: -_-u  
  
~*~  
  
Chapter 2 - Wait for me!  
  
/Damn Tyson. Why does he always have to be late? /  
  
~*Flashback*~  
  
"Argh! We're going to be late!"  
  
"Gee Chief, I didn't see that pimple there a minute ago . . ." commented Dizzy dryly.  
  
"Could you guys please look for Tyson?" pleaded Kenny, ignoring Dizzy's less-than-complimentary remark.  
  
Kai's eyes narrowed before turning to Rei and Max.  
  
~*End flashback*~  
  
"Meet back here in two minutes," said Kai flatly, before vanishing among the people.  
  
Rei sighed. /Sucks to be Tyson if Kai finds him/ "Don't worry Chief, we'll find him."  
  
"It's not that he's lost. If he doesn't 'get' here . . ."  
  
~*~  
  
Tyson arrived at the airport panting heavily, nearly knocking someone over when he ran through the doorway. Since no bus conveniently ran at 9:57 am, he had to run all the way. And he wasn't happy, having missed breakfast too. /Okay; now all I gotta do is find everyone/  
  
"Tyson! Over here!" called Max from the second floor, waving.  
  
With renewed energy, Tyson dashed up he stairs. Before he could collapse, Max propelled him over to where Kenny was waiting.  
  
"Tyson! Where were you?" demanded Kenny, jumping up and looking like he'd like to strangle Tyson.  
  
"Max, did you find . . .? Hi Tyson," said Rei, appearing from the crowds.  
  
"Now where's Kai?" groaned Kenny in despair.  
  
"Why's he so . . . like that today?" enquired Tyson, unaware of the stress he had caused in one brown-haired boy.  
  
"Might have to do with someone running a little late today," replied Dizzy sarcastically.  
  
"Kai!" suddenly exclaimed Max, catching sight of him just before he went to board the plane. "Someone's Mr Sourpuss today," muttered Tyson to no one in particular. "Man, I'm hungry . . . hey, wait up!"  
  
He ran to catch up with the rest of his team, who were just handing in their tickets.  
  
~*~  
  
"Quickly! I can't believe we got on the wrong plane!" exclaimed Meia, laughing.  
  
Her and the rest of her friends quickly lined up to board a plane where a boy was running to try and not get left behind.  
  
"That guy's in a hurry," commented Miyako. "Hey, he looks kind of familiar, doesn't he?"  
  
"Hey wait up!" the boy yelled, running by the attendant.  
  
Meia lifted a graceful eyebrow as she stared at the boy. /He looks kinda cute. Wonder who he is/  
  
She kept one eye on the boy who was getting dragged back by a steward, while she absently handed in her ticket.  
  
"Lemme back on! I gotta get on before the plane leaves!"  
  
Miyako started giggling at the scene, which triggered off the others. Soon, all of them dissolved into helpless laughter.  
  
"Sir, let the idiot boy back on."  
  
The girls turned at the sound of another voice.  
  
"Kai! Thankyouthankyouthankyouthank-"  
  
"Shut up," interrupted Kai as he turned and walked back onto the plane. "Don't forget to give in your ticket this time."  
  
Tyson handed in his ticket and hurriedly followed Kai.  
  
Meia smiled.  
  
Miyako smiled  
  
Reni smiled.  
  
Akai smiled.  
  
They were going against the Bladebreakers in the tournament. If they were entering. And if, of course they actually qualified. The standards in the tournament they were entering were very high, only the best qualified into the finals.  
  
"Ladies? Are you getting on?"  
  
"Yep," replied Akai, as they walked on.  
~*~  
  
Seated happily of the plane, Max stared at the blank screen on the back of the chair in front of him. Once the plane took off, the games would load!  
  
Since they were in first class seats, and there was hardly anyone around, they had all opted to take different rows so there would be more room.  
  
/Life was good/  
  
~*~  
  
"Where are out seats?!" Meia whisper-screamed, scanning the aisle of seats.  
  
"Over here," giggled Miyako. "You're looking in economy!"  
  
Meia grinned sheepishly.  
  
"What number are you?" enquired the airhostess politely.  
  
They gave her the little bit at the end of the ticket with the seat number.  
  
"Okay girls, you've all got the aisle seat. Over there," she replied after glancing at the tickets, and pointed to the only part of the plane that had people in first class.  
  
Oh no, I'm sure I asked for us to be put together . . . " groaned Miyako, looking at the numbers as well.  
  
"Don't worry, the trip's only.3 ½ hours," comforted Akai. "Let's go."  
  
~*~  
  
Mysterious voice: There you have it. The thing she slaved over for two days.  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: ::beams happily::  
  
Mysterious voice: It was not a compliment.  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: ::smile fades and dangerous look comes into eyes::  
  
Mysterious voice: Uh.so see you soon.got to go ::runs away:::  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: So.please review? For the sake of one girl who's going back to school in two days.  
  
Mysterious voice: ~from far away~ quit pestering them!  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: Thanks for reading.gotta run now.::chases Mysterious voice with a knife:: 


	3. Chapter 3:Plane Trip

Kurayami_Tenshi: Yay! Another reviewer! ::jumps up and down::  
  
Mysterious voice: ::sweat drop::  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: Thank you so much Kkornelia for reviewing! Heh.naming problems.yeah, I know the girls act like Tyson.but that 'should' change after a while. ^_^ Hope you like this chapter.  
  
Mysterious voice: Thank god she shut up.  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: ::glare::  
  
Mysterious voice: ::gulp::  
  
~*~  
  
Chapter 3 - Plane Trip  
  
Someone tapped Rei on the shoulder. He looked up into pair of dark blue eyes, like a reflection of the deep parts of the ocean.  
  
"Excuse me. Um . . . could I please have the window seat?" asked the girl.  
  
Rei looked at her.  
  
She was very pretty, with her black hair lose and brushing the top of her shoulders. Wearing tight fitting white sleeveless shirt with dark blue outlining the design flattered her slim figure, and the blue knee length skirt that matched her eyes perfectly.  
  
"Um . . . is that alright with you?"  
  
The girl interrupted his thoughts.  
  
"Sure," replied Rei, mentally hitting himself for staring. The girl smiled.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
She stood there for a while, still smiling down at him. He wondered why she was doing that, until he noticed he was still sitting in the seat.  
  
Rei jumped up, nearly knocking her over, and apologising. She carefully stepped around him and gracefully sat down.  
  
"So . . . what's your name?" asked Rei after a few moments of silence.  
  
"Miyako. What's yours?" inquired Miyako for the sake of asking. /Yeah, like there's a girl in the world who doesn't know Rei/  
  
"Rei."  
  
"Nice name," replied Miyako, taking out a magazine from the back of the seat.  
  
Rei was . . .surprised to say the least. /Most girls get really clingy whenever the see me. Of all the times it doesn't happen/ He looked at her, absorbed in the magazine. /Oh well . . . /  
  
~*~  
  
Meia glanced at the number above her seat before sitting down. Glancing over to her left, she saw Tyson.  
  
"Hey! You're the boy who didn't hand in your ticket!" she exclaimed.  
  
Tyson jumped and stared at Meia, whose voice had risen in volume.  
  
She was wearing a purple t-shirt mirroring the colour of her eyes, with the words 'Be reasonable. Don't argue with me' printed on it, with a white pair of short shorts.  
  
Although her hair was cut very short, it did not make her look the least boyish, only giving her a very sophisticated look.  
  
Blinking, then blushing, Tyson grinned a little sheepishly.  
  
"Yeah. You know, I was late 'n all, and everyone else just sorta left me behind, so . . . yeah."  
  
"I see . . . what kind of games do you like on these planes?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Meia smirked. "Just kidding. So, you must be Tyson."  
  
Tyson nodded, having gotten used to being known by just about everyone.  
  
"Yup, the world champion," he declared proudly.  
  
Meia smiled tolerantly. /I'd love to take this guy on . . . /  
  
~*~  
  
Still staring at the blank screen, Max was quite happy to turn his attention to the person sitting next to him.  
  
"Hi," said Max in his typically friendly manner.  
  
"Hi," replied the girl in a bored sounding voice.  
  
"When I got this ticket, I didn't know they reserved a cute girl to sit next to me too," said Max. (A/N: Don't ask, Max is really flirty in this fic. Hey, he has to grow up sometime . . .) For some reason, he wanted to talk to this girl. He looked at what she was wearing.  
  
A dark red spaghetti strapped top with swirls of a lighter shade of red hugged her lithe form, and her black sports skirt showed off her legs nicely.  
  
Her hair was very long, and almost touched her thighs. It was pulled up into a high ponytail by a blood red ribbon.  
  
The girl blinked her unique deep red eyes at him, cocking her head slightly.  
  
"So . . . uh . . . what's your name?" /Keep cool, Max/  
  
"Reni. And you're Max of the Bladebreakers," answered Reni.  
  
"Heh . . . "  
  
Max sat back. /Real smooth Max. Now she thinks you're a freak/  
  
However, when he turned to face her, he caught her staring at him.  
  
Reni blushed furiously, and turned back to face the empty asile. Max smiled.  
  
~*~  
  
"Everyone alright?" called Akai, earning some stares from the airhostesses. She always checked before settling herself down.  
  
"Yeah!"  
  
"Alright."  
  
Akai sighed as she sat back down on the chair. /Wonder who I'm sitting next to/  
  
"Hi!" greeted Akai cheerfully. "Do you fly often?"  
  
Kai, who was staring out the window, shrugged, not bothering to turn around.  
  
"Oh, hey! You're that guy that got that other guy out of trouble, right?"  
  
There was no response from Kai, who suddenly found the view from the window very interesting.  
  
"Yeah, I'd remember you." /Like, who couldn't? You're like.drop-dead gorgeous/  
  
"You're . . .Kai?"  
  
"I wouldn't try talking to him."  
  
"Hmm?" Akai turned around and looked at Kenny sitting behind her. She smiled. "Hey! How are you?" she said.  
  
"Um . . . good . . . "  
  
"That's great! So, why shouldn't I talk to this guy . . . " she leaned in closer to Kenny, who looked suddenly terrified. " . . . who is so damned hot?" she finished in a loud whisper.  
  
Kai heard her and suddenly blushed, although he was still facing the window.  
  
She flicked her green eyes over to him. "Oh! I have a response from you! Now all I need now is a verbal one."  
  
Kenny smirked. /Looks like someone's unsettling Kai. Historical mark/  
  
For the rest of the journey, Kai didn't look at her.  
  
~Three and a half hours later~  
  
Everyone had been talking the whole trip except Kai, but Akai was a pro at holding a one sided conversation, and chatting happily to Kenny.  
  
*Please fasten your seat belts and prepare for landing*  
  
"Hey Akai! Where do we go after we get off?" yelled Meia, causing Tyson to wince as she shouted right next to his ear. "Just stay in the airport and don't get lost. Some guy said he'd take us to the hotel, because he's taking this other team there as well," called back Akai.  
  
"Who's taking yo-" Kenny's question was cut off when the plane clumsily landed with a painful thump. When he looked around for Akai, she was gone.  
  
~*~  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: Phew.that took me AGES to do.  
  
Mysterious voice: Sad.  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: Watch it.anyway, anyone who's reading.please, please, please review? Thank you so much!  
  
Mysterious voice: You're being a pest again.  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: Hey! Without me you would never have existed! I hold the power over you!  
  
Mysterious voice: I was under the impression that ownership of people was outlawed years ago?  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: ::pouts:: Oh well, cyaz! Till the next chapter! ::walks off singing in an extremely off-tune voice::  
  
Mysterious voice: Someone help me. 


	4. Chapter 4:Introducing the Dark Angels

Kurayami_Tenshi: ::looks teary eyed:: No one reviewed! ::starts to cry::  
  
Mysterious voice: ::blinks:: she knows how to cry???  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: ::continues crying::  
  
Mysterious voice: ::sighs:: well, here's the next chapter.  
  
~*~  
  
Chapter 4 - Introducing . . . the Dark Angels  
  
"Mr Dickinson!" yelled Tyson loudly, over the loud shouts and screams of the gathering fan club.  
  
Ever since winning the world championships, wherever they went, they seemed to be greeted by a crowd.  
  
"Over here boys!"  
  
They somehow squeezed past the crowd of people, dodging proffered objects such as shirts, hats and so forth. As well as being careful that no one poked their eyes out with a pen or something.  
  
When they finally got to Mr Dickinson, who expertly dispersed the crowd, he was beaming at them with a slight smirk. Standing next to him were the girls from the plane.  
  
"I suppose you haven't met the Dark Angels? Dark Angel's these are the Bladebreakers," introduced Mr Dickinson, mistaking the Bladebreakers' looks of shock and surprise for curiosity about the girls.  
  
The two teams faced each other. Kai, Rei, Max, Tyson, Kenny. Akai, Miyako, Reni, Meia.  
  
Unfortunately, that's all they did. Face each other.  
  
::Mr Dickinson sweat drop::  
  
"Kai, why don't you introduce the Bladebreakers? Kai is the team leader, girls."  
  
With a sigh, Kai introduced the team in a monotonous voice.  
  
"Rei, Max, Tyson, Kenny," he said flatly.  
  
"Uh . . . Akai?"  
  
Akai gave a smile as she stepped forward. She grinned at Kenny and waved. "Hi Kenny! Remember me?" she said, standing slightly shorter than him (A/N: No, Akai is NOT short, I think Kenny needs to be a bit taller so . . . he's a little shorter than Max if anyone's interested), thoroughly embarrassing him.  
  
She turned and faced the Bladebreakers properly. They . . . stared at her. If her team members were pretty, the only word to describe her was beautiful.  
  
Her glossy black hair flowed down to slightly past her shoulder blades, with some locks short at the front to frame her face. She was dressed in a forest green sleeveless shirt, with a denim miniskirt, showing herself off perfectly.  
  
"Hi! My name's Akai, as you know, and I'm the team leader of the Dark Angels. This is Miyako, Reni and Meia!" She grinned, revealing a set of perfect, straight while teeth. "And we just wanna say . . . good luck if you pass the qualifying rounds in the tournament."  
  
Kai blinked. If he hadn't heard her speak, he never would have guessed she was the same person sitting next to him all the way here.  
  
"So you're the Dark Angels!" exclaimed Max.  
  
"The one and only," said Miyako. "Come on Mr D, let's go!"  
  
~*~  
  
They all trooped back to the bus, talking animatedly.  
  
Max: So you're part of the Dark Angels.  
  
Reni: Don't look so surprised.  
  
Rei: So you're team's all girls?  
  
Miyako: What gave you that clue?  
  
Max: I am not looking surprised.  
  
Tyson: Wanna battle?  
  
Reni: Are to.  
  
Meia: Sure! At the hotel training room.  
  
Max: Are not.  
  
Mr Dickinson: Yes, that is a good idea. That way you can judge each other's skills before the actual tournament.  
  
Reni: Are to.  
  
Kenny: Why didn't you tell us on they way here?  
  
Max: Are not  
  
Akai: You'd have found out anyway.  
  
Akai looked around and saw Kai wasn't talking, and was quite a way back behind. She hung back until she was level with him.  
  
"Why don't you talk with us?" she asked innocently.  
  
He shrugged. /Why does she insist on bothering me/  
  
"Oh come on. We don't bite." /Maybe he's shy???/ "Hrmph."  
  
"Aww . . . " Akai put her arm around him in a friendly fashion. She was, after all, a very affectionate person by nature.  
  
/What is she doing?!/  
  
"Ahhh!"  
  
As an instinctive reaction, he had grabbed her arm and tossed her over his shoulder. Quite easy for him. Quite painful for her.  
  
"Akai! Are you alright?"  
  
The Dark Angels quickly surrounded her.  
  
"I'm fine . . . just tripped, that's all,' said Akai, brushing aside their concern with a laugh.  
  
"Whatever you say . . . " they went back to their newfound friends after pulling her back onto her feet.  
  
Kai looked at her.  
  
Akai didn't seem too fazed by his throw, and still smiled at him whenever she happened meet his glance. She went back to her team, and chattered with everyone else. He couldn't explain the feeling of missing something that plagued him.  
  
~*~  
  
The trip from the airport to the bus wasn't too bad, except for the fact that it was extremely squishy, the bus Mr Dickinson organised having to cancel at the last moment.  
  
Soon they arrived at the hotel.  
  
It looked very grand, with a mansion-like front and elegant fountains playing at the entrance, the water tinged different colours as the lights down the bottom slowly changed.  
  
Both teams were impressed.  
  
"Alright boys and girls. I booked two rooms, so you'll have to sort out who has which room between you. Remember, the tournament starts on Friday, so you have two days to train. Good luck to you both."  
  
"We're training now," said Kai immediately after Mr Dickinson left. He had gone to stay elsewhere. The tournament rules say the teams are split up from anyone of authority, save the team leader. It is an independent tournament.  
  
"Aww Kai! We just got here," whined Tyson. "Besides, I'm starving."  
  
::Someone's stomach growls loudly. All look at Tyson::  
  
"It wasn't me!" he protested.  
  
"Uh . . . it was me. Let's go eat," decided Miyako, putting a hand to her stomach.  
  
The Dark Angels left, running to the nearest restaurant.  
  
::Bladebreakers sweat drop::  
  
~*~  
  
"Come on Kai, please? I need food . . . " Kai gave Tyson a 'death glare', but since death glares don't work, and Tyson was hungry.there was no stopping him.  
  
"Please?"  
  
Kenny looked at the time on Dizzy. 1:30 pm. /No wonder Tyson's hungry/  
  
"Uh, Kai? Its 1:30 . . . aren't you hungry?" enquired Max.  
  
Kai turned and walked in the direction the Dark Angels took, but was quickly over taken by Tyson running ahead.  
  
~*~  
  
Mysterious voice: Hope anyone who's reading this likes it.  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: ::glassy eyes::  
  
Mysterious voice: Please review. 


	5. Chapter 5:Chow Time & a Friendly Match

Mysterious voice: ::holding a very soaked bunch of tissues::  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: Yay! Someone reviewed! Thank you sooo much, Dark Magician! That really helped! ::hug:: Now with the fic! ::sniff::  
  
~*~  
  
Chapter 5 - Chow Time and a Friendly Match  
  
The waiters stared at the four petite girls in amazement. They sure knew how to put it away . . .  
  
"Mmm! This stuff is great!" commented Akai. Only Meia was eating at a 'normal' rate. There was very little else spoken as they concentrated on eating. And drinking. Then eating some more . . .  
  
~*~  
  
The Bladebreakers blinked as they looked a the buffet table, which was . . . empty.  
  
"You guys are really disgusting when it comes to eating."  
  
They turned to see the Dark Angels, with the exception of Meia, eating like there was no tomorrow.  
  
"..."  
  
Kai snorted as he sat down at one of the empty tables. /More Tysons . . . /  
  
"Hi," said Rei to the Dark Angels. They looked up for about half a second before continuing to eat.  
  
"Ignore them for about an hour or so. They 'should' be back to normal by then," informed Meia dryly. "Good God . . . " she added, watching Tyson steal some food off Reni.  
  
Kenny sighed, then his eyes widened when he saw the waiters refill the table, for it to all vanish.  
  
"Gimmie that back," snapped Reni, snatching her bowl of fish and chips back.  
  
Tyson glowered at her, before plopping down to wait.  
  
~An hour later~  
  
"That really hit the spot,' sighed Miyako, leaning back contently.  
  
"Looks like it should have hit more than one spot," muttered Tyson darkly. She grinned good-naturedly.  
  
"Training time!" sang Akai happily, getting up. The rest of the Dark Angels obediently followed.  
  
"How much will that be? Oh, here you go."  
  
"See you later!"  
  
"Bye!  
  
"See ya!"  
  
"Bye, Bye!"  
  
The waiters heaved a sigh of relief at them gone, but then groaned, seeing Tyson piling up his plate.  
  
/Least there's only one of them . . . /  
~*~  
  
"Tyson! Come on already!" Kenny's command was answered by a chomping sound.  
  
"We're leaving."  
  
Kai got up and vanished out the door. /Don't believe I have to be seen in public with him/  
  
"Kai! Wait!"  
  
"Kenny, come on. Tyson can follow up later," suggested Max, standing up.  
  
"Sounds like a good idea, Chief. Tyson should be done, oh, maybe in the next year or so," remarked Dizzy.  
  
"Alright."  
  
~*~  
  
A dark blue blade flew across the dish to clash with a blood red one, causing sparks to fly from the force of the connection.  
  
"Come on Sapphire!"  
  
The blue blade pressed in harder against the red one, a grating sound heard because of the high spin rate of both blades.  
  
"Garnet, hang in there!"  
  
The red blade broke the contact and swivelled around, clashing again with Sapphire. (A/N: alright, enough battling. I'll describe the tournament battle's in a little more detail ^_^)  
  
The battle ended in a tie. The Dark Angels were roughly at the same level.  
  
"Well done!" cheered Akai enthusiastically, bouncing up and down. "Keep it up! Ready, Meia?" Meia nodded, violet eyes glinting as she raised her launcher.  
  
"3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . let it rip!"  
  
Both blade flew into the dish, connecting in mid air. Despite the early connection, both blades landed perfectly balanced. Suddenly, the purple blade made a more for the deep green one, but narrowly missed it.  
  
"Emerald, go!" Akai said to Emerald, her blade obeying instantly, dashing forward to use Meia's blade's own momentum against it, knocking it out of the dish.  
  
"Amethyst . . . "  
  
'Don't worry, you're getting better all the time," consoled Akai, catching Emerald deftly.  
  
Meia smirked. "Yeah, and next time, I'll be ready. I wonder where Tyson is? I promised him a match."  
  
"He's still eating."  
  
They looked to see a boy wearing a traditional white Chinese shirt with some locks of hair spiked up at the front. However, the rest of it was bound back using a long strip of white material wound over and over again, tightly binding it.  
  
"You're . . . Rei?" guessed Meia.  
  
Rei grinned. "Yep. So . . . any of you up for a battle?" offered Rei, taking out Drigger.  
  
"I don't mind," accepted Miyako, blue eyes set for battle. "You're on."  
  
Max, Kai, Reni, Meia and Akai stood back, watching.  
  
Kenny set up Dizzy to scan Miyako's blade, but she looked distinctly uncomfortable about that.  
  
"What are you going to do with that?"  
  
"Huh?" Rei looked in the direction Miyako was pointing at and saw Kenny with Dizzy. "Oh. He's just . . . "  
  
"Collecting data on my blade?! That is so not fair," she accusingly, holding Sapphire possessively tight. She turned and glared at Kenny. "Leave my blade alone!"  
  
::Kenny sweat drop::  
  
"Miyako, let them scan your blade," said Akai. "What can they do with the information anyway?"  
  
"Alright . . . "  
  
" . . . Let it rip!"  
  
Drigger and Sapphire circled the dish cautiously, testing their opponents. Rei glanced up and saw Miyako's face was set in concentration. /She sure is serious about this . . . /  
  
"Pay attention Rei," said Miyako suddenly, snapping him out of this thoughts. "You can't win if you keep on staring at me!"  
  
Max laughed, while Kai looked faintly amused. Rei blushed slightly.  
  
"Right."  
  
The two blade stopped their cautious circling when Drigger sprung forward.  
  
"Tiger claw!" yelled Rei.  
  
Amethyst easily sidestepped the attack. Drigger attacked again and again. Drigger's speed was good, but Amethyst was quicker.  
  
"You'll have to do better than that Rei," called Miyako. "Amethyst, Dark pool."  
  
Amethyst glowed faintly with a purple aura before circling Dragger and breakneck speed.  
  
Both blades vanished into a mist of darkness, then suddenly, Drigger flew out of the dish.  
  
Max and Kenny both wore identical looks of shock. Beating Rei was no mean feat. Kai crossed his arms in a typical 'Kai' behaviour, face carefully blank.  
  
"Good match," said Miyako, but it truth, she was disappointed. /That was way to easy. Are they just trying to see what we can do/  
  
"Yeah . . . "  
  
She hugged him briefly as was the Dark Angel custom, (they thought it consoles whoever loses) stunning Rei. She smiled before going back to her team.  
  
"Sleepy," said Reni suddenly. "4:32 pm," she added reluctantly, seeing Akai giving her a 'look'.  
  
For all the time they had been a team, she had being trying to get her to say more than one sentence at a time. Still working on it.  
  
"Bed!" declared Meia as they disappeared out the door.  
  
~*~  
  
Rei stared at Drigger, golden eyes clouded as he mentally replayed the battle. /It didn't even look like she was trying/  
  
"Am I late?" gasped Tyson, holding onto the door for support.  
  
"You just missed Rei's match," informed Max.  
  
"Huh?" Tyson looked at Rei, staring dejectedly at his blade. "Tough break."  
  
"Guys, check this out!"  
  
They crowded around Kenny as he showed them Miyako's stats.  
  
"That's not possible . . . " Rei's voice trailed off as he looked at the graph.  
  
All of Miyako's stats were off the scale, but most surprising was the fact that they were all equal. A very balanced blade.  
  
"Man, it's going to be tough beating them if they all have stats like that."  
  
"Dizzy also found a site on the Dark Angels. Apparently it can only be accessed a few days from the tournament opening, so the teams don't get an advantage over them.  
  
~The Dark Angels are currently number one in the Elimination Tournaments, having never lost a single battle. Their name 'Dark Angels' is a warning to all teams that oppose them; the 'Dark' meaning that their attacks are extremely powerful, and 'Angels' is for their unique bit beasts. ~  
  
"Check out their profiles."  
  
Name: Akai- team leader.  
  
Age: 14  
  
Blade Appearance: Green with black markings  
  
Bit Beast: Emerald. Angel type.  
  
Name: Meia  
  
Age: 14  
  
Blade Appearance: Blue with black markings  
  
Bit Beast: Sapphire. Angel type  
  
Name: Miyako  
  
Age: 14  
  
Blade Appearance: Purple with black markings  
  
Bit Beast: Amethyst. Angel type  
  
Name: Reni  
  
Age: 14  
  
Blade Appearance: Red with black markings  
  
Bit Beast: Garnet. Angel type  
  
Beside each profile, which was very brief had had only useless information according to Tyson, was a picture of the bladers and a close up of the blade.  
  
"They're a year younger than us!" exclaimed Kenny once everyone had read the site. "They won the tournament at 13!"  
  
"I think you need some sleep Chief," said Max.  
  
~*~  
  
Mysterious voice: That didn't seem to plot driven . . .  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: I know, but I promise more will happen in the next chapter. Please review! 


	6. Chapter 6:Its MY Room!

Mysterious voice: Thank you for reviewing Solima. ::smiles:: And your compliment was greatly appreciated-  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: Hey, that was my line! ::pouts::  
  
Mysterious voice: And now on with the fic!  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: ::mumbles something about that being her line too::  
  
Chapter 6 - Its MY Room!  
  
"Somehow, I don't think the Bladebreakers are as good as everyone claims they are," said Miyako thoughtfully. "I mean, that match was way too easy."  
  
Reni shrugged. "All the better for us."  
  
"I don't know. They might be hiding something," cautioned Akai in a rare serious mood.  
  
"Hello girls. Your room?"  
  
"Uh.Mr Dickinson said he booked two rooms . . . " began Meia when the receptionist interrupted.  
  
"I'm sorry girls, but one of my staff has sold one of the rooms . . . "  
  
"B-but that means . . . have you got any spare ones?"  
  
"I'm sorry," repeated the receptionist. "But it's peak period now, and we're fully booked."  
  
Suddenly Miyako grinned evilly. "Don't worry. Just give us the other one."  
  
The receptionist handed over a four key cards.  
  
"I hope you enjoy your stay. And, our sincerest apologies for this . . . "  
  
"That's okay. Thanks!"  
  
Miyako turned to face her team. "Let's see how they handle it."  
  
~*~  
  
"Go Dragoon!" yelled Tyson.  
  
A hurricane surrounded Dragoon as it swerved in to attack Drigger, who nimbly dodged the attack.  
  
Kenny scanned the blades. /No where near Miyako's blade . . . how in the world did she get so good/  
  
"Hey, shouldn't we be checking in or something?" asked Max.  
  
"Mr Dickinson said he booked rooms. There's no rush," said Kai, launching Dranzer into another dish. "Now train."  
  
Max didn't ask any more questions, knowing better than to argue with Kai. He launched Draciel into the same dish and watched Dranzer circle Draciel.  
  
They trained until about 6:00 pm, taking a short break in between, in which Rei described his match with Miyako to Tyson. After that, the training was much more intense, as they were determined not to lose the tournament, only two days away.  
  
~*~ A loud growling sound suddenly echoed through the room. Kenny looked up, fingers hovering over the keys, Rei stopped in mid launch, Max froze in the act of catching Draciel, while Kai looked disgusted.  
  
::All stare at Tyson::  
  
"Heh, heh . . . " Tyson smiled weakly, one hand behind his head. "Guess it's time for dinner?"  
  
"Tyson, we just had lunch! It's only . . . 6:45 pm?!" exclaimed Kenny.  
  
"Whoa, calm down Chief," said Rei. /Wonder why Kenny's so.paranoid lately/  
  
"How about calling it quits for today?" suggested Max.  
  
::All turn to Kai::  
  
Shrugging, Kai picked up Dranzer and left the room. "We're checking in first," he called back. Blinking, the rest followed.  
  
~*~  
  
It was very quiet in room 237. The lights were off and curtains drawn as the Dark Angels slept.  
  
However, someone broke that tranquillity, or some people, banging on the door and shouting.  
  
"I wonder who that could be?" drawled Reni sarcastically, waking up and feeling a little annoyed as she drew her waist-long hair into a ponytail.  
  
Meia giggled, sitting up.  
  
The room was quite well furnished, with four single beds in and one sofa bed, along with a large circular eating table, and a well-equipped kitchen.  
  
Reno opened the door, one hand delicately covering her mouth as she yawned sleepily.  
  
"Ahh!"  
  
She was nearly bowled over by the Bladebreakers charging into the room, led by a furious-looking Tyson.  
  
"Who is it?" demanded Miyako, waking up and leaping off the bed into a well- practised fighting crouch. "Oh. Isn't you room 269?"  
  
Tyson glared at her. She glared back.  
  
"Alright. Aka-where's Akai?" enquired Kenny, looking around and seeing only Reni, Meia and Miyako.  
  
"Asleep," replied Reni with a slightly amused smile. "That girl could sleep through a thunderstorm.  
  
Her alarm clock wakes up everyone but her." "Well, what about our problem?" groaned Tyson, looking away from Miyako, who was smiling triumphantly. "We have no room."  
  
"You snooze, you lose," answered Meia with a smirk. "Or in this case you win."  
  
Tyson growled, and seriously looked like he would kill someone (A/N: he is still hungry, you know . . . ) That is, until Max decided to hop onto one of the beds the Dark Angels vacated.  
  
"Hey! Get off!" ordered Reni in her most commanding tone, trying to pull him off. No such luck. Suddenly, Tyson grinned, jumping onto another bed. Rei, after taking a few minutes to adjust to the abrupt change of mood, followed suit.  
  
Kenny settled down in a couch and watched. He didn't want to risk Dizzy getting dropped.  
  
The Dark Angels attacked them with pillows and anything else close to hand.  
  
Kai shook his head at the immature behaviour, and sat down in an empty bed. He heard a muffled sound and looked down.  
  
He saw a pair a startling green eyes, obscured by a mass of dark hair. He smirked. Didn't look like she was going anywhere soon . . .  
  
After several moments, the 'pillow' fight came to an end, both teams declaring a tie.  
  
What are we going to do about the rooms? I mean, sharing it would be . . . kinda difficult," said Rei.  
  
"I've got an idea. We'll take the room, and you can sleep somewhere on the streets," suggested Meia brightly.  
  
"No."  
  
::Silence::  
  
"We could try sharing the room. The problem is, all the beds are single except for the sofa bed." Max's voice trailed off.  
  
"Can we sort this thing up later? I'm hungry . . . " declared Tyson. ::Dark Angels stare at him:: "You're the one who came barging into the room. And now you want to eat?!" Miyako looked at him in amazement. "Well, that's okay with me."  
  
::Bladebreakers fall over anime style::  
  
"You guys go ahead. I'm sleepy." Akai gave a feeble wave before snuggling back down into the blanket.  
  
The two teams left, but Kai stayed behind. /I'm eating later, when Tyson isn't there/  
  
"You can take one of those now," said Akai, giving a half-heated attempt to shove him off 'her' bed. Kai got up and plopped down in the bed closest to hers.  
  
"Aren't you hungry?" "I thought you were sleepy," replied Kai flatly.  
  
*gasp* "You spoke! You actually said something! Wow . . . "  
  
Kai grunted, turning so his back was facing her. /Great . . . now she's going to talk instead of sleep/  
  
~*~  
  
"You so cannot eat more than me," argued Miyako. "I'll beat you any day."  
  
"Bring it on!"  
  
She and Tyson were locked in a furious food battle. Both claimed to eat the most, while the others claimed not to know them.  
  
"Meia, I did a scan on Miyako's blade during her battle with Rei."  
  
Meia nodded, toying with the food.  
  
"How did her stats get so high?"  
  
"Do tell," put in Dizzy.  
  
Smiling coyly, Meia slowly waved her finger from side to side. "Uh ah, no telling team secrets."  
  
"Whoa, check it out!" Max pointed to the mountain of dishes stacked haphazardly on top of one another. /you can literally see is 'growing' . . . /  
  
Tyson and Miyako appeared to have accelerated their pace of eating, food disappearing almost as soon as it touched their plates.  
  
"Aren't you *munch munch* afraid *chomp chomp* that you'll grow fat?" asked Tyson between bites.  
  
"Nope," answered Miyako. "Aren't you?"  
  
"No."  
  
Reni threw a faintly disgusted look at the way they were both shovelling food down their throats.  
  
::Kenny, Rei and Meia sigh.::  
  
~*~  
  
Soon, Akai was asleep again. Kai let out a breath. /Thank God she's not talking/  
  
Akai murmured something in her sleep and rolled over until she almost fell off the bed.  
  
He turned and looked at her. Suddenly, her eyes opened, and he found himself in the focus of her gaze. She smiled sleepily.  
  
~BANG~ The door opened and smashed against the wall. Akai hurriedly faked sleep, Kai copying her. /Let them sort it out/  
  
~*~  
  
"Aww man! Kai's asleep too."  
  
"He has a right to sleep, you know," informed Rei.  
  
Tyson groaned. "I know, but how are we going to sort out this room problem if they're asleep?"  
  
"Well . . . " Miyako smiled cheekily. "We could move those two onto the sofa bed.and we could pull out a mattress from these beds . . . "  
  
"Alright," agreed Rei. Him and Tyson picked up Kai, who promptly 'woke up' and glared at them, while Max picked up Akai, who also 'woke up' and smiled at him.  
  
"Hi. That bed's mine."  
  
Max put her down quickly. There was no saying what would happen when you got a girl mad.  
  
The Dark Angels pulled out a mattress from each bed. That done, they effectively had eight beds, plus a sofa bed.  
  
"Heh . . . good morning Kai . . . (gulp)" Tyson visible quivered under Kai's glare.  
  
"Put me down."  
  
Rei and Tyson hurriedly complied.  
  
The Dark Angels disappeared into the bathroom to change (A/N: Mr Dickinson sent their baggage) while the Bladebreakers remained outside.  
  
After another argument, it was 'decided' that the Dark Angels got the bed while they got the floor.  
~*~  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: Okay, this was a . . . kinda . . . well . . .  
  
Mysterious voice: What she means is this was a pointless chapter, and she has no clue as to why she wrote it.  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: Hey! That's not nice! ::smack:: Anyway . . . anyone reading please review?  
  
Mysterious voice: ::nurses cheek:: 


	7. Chapter 7:Swimming? Before a Tournament?

Kurayami_Tenshi: ::sighs:: No reviewers . . . ::blinks:: I will not cry . . . ::eyes turn glassy::  
  
Mysterious voice: ::hands over tissue box::  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: ::takes a tissue:: Well . . . here's another chapter . . . if anyone's reading . . .  
  
~*~  
  
Chapter 7 - Swimming? Before a Tournament?  
  
~The next day~  
  
Everyone woke up to the smell of bacon and eggs wafting through the doors.  
  
"Mmm . . . breakfast . . . "  
  
Reno smacked Tyson's hand away with her spatula, ignoring the fact that it was metal, and she had just flipped over an egg with it.  
  
Tyson's dreamy expression vanished as he hopped around, clutching his burnt hand, but avoiding Reni, who was waving her spatula around threateningly.  
  
Meia, Akai and Miyako knew better than to try and steal food off Reni when she was cooking. They had tried when they had first joined up . . . and Tyson getting his hand smacked was a very light punishment.  
  
The Bladebreakers, once they had assembled into the not-so-big kitchen, felt their jaws drop of the ground. It looked like Reni had cooked enough to feed an average person for a month! There were at least fifty plates filled, and she was still cooking! Having run out of plates, she was now stacking the food into pans and bowls (A/N: don't ask, I've never been to a hotel with 'that' many plates before . . . )  
  
"Alright, breakfast is ready," declared Reni, taking 'a few' plates and sitting down at the table.  
  
The Dark Angels and Tyson quickly obeyed, while the rest of the Bladebreakers team hung back.  
  
The twenty or so plates were for them.  
  
"Do you need and invitation?" snapped Reni.  
  
They picked up some food and joined them. Already it was easy to tell an annoyed Reni was not a good one to have around.  
  
"How about swimming?" suggested Miyako suddenly, around fifteen minutes into the meal.  
  
::Bladebreakers look confused::  
  
"Sounds good," agreed Akai. "Alright, let's go then!"  
  
They got up and left rather suddenly, picking up a bag on the way.  
  
"Swimming?" echoed Max, puzzled.  
  
~*~  
  
"We're training now," stated Kai, striding out the door as soon as the task of cleaning the dishes had been taken care of.  
  
"But-" began Tyson when the door closed with a bang. /Sheesh . . .  
  
"Tyson, the tournament's tomorrow," reminded Kenny.  
  
Shock registered in Tyson's face. "Already?!"  
  
"C'mon Tyson," said Rei as he finished stacking the dishes away and dragged Tyson out after him.  
  
~*~  
  
"Go Dranzer," yelled Kai as Dranzer skilfully wove within and around the obstacles set up in the dish with the ease of experience. Then, it swung back around with deadly grace; destroying them all.  
  
"Kai! You could have waited for us you know," huffed Max. Kenny settled down and set up Dizzy's scanning system.  
  
"I want to do another scan on your blades," explained Kenny. "In case we meet someone tough tomorrow."  
  
"What if we're against the Dark Angels tomorrow? I don't think we stand a chance against them." Rei's voice trailed off, recalling Miyako's match.  
  
"C'mon guys. We're gonna win this!" said Tyson, determination flashing in his eyes.  
  
"We're not going to win this by dreaming, Tyson."  
  
They turned to see Kai, who had Dranzer held tightly.  
  
"Kai?"  
  
"This isn't the same as our normal tournaments. We can't afford a single mistake." Kai turned so his back was facing them. "Our weakest link could destroy us."  
  
~*~  
  
The tension obviously felt by the Bladebreakers, and emphasised by Kai's 'words of wisdom' didn't appear to be touching the Dark Angels. They were very.relaxed to say the least.  
  
"Hey!" shrieked Miyako as Meia jumped in right next to her, soaking her fully. "You are so-" She never got a chance to finish that sentence, because Akai had smoothly dived under and dragged her down too.  
  
Struggling back to the surface, Miyako had a dangerous gleam in her eyes as she slowly headed towards the two conspirers.  
  
Reni sighed and shook her head, a smile tugging at the corners of the mouth. /They're still so immature/  
  
~*~  
  
The Bladebreakers winced when they heard an extremely high-pitched shriek, followed by loud splashes. /They're . . . playing?! Right before a tournament?/ Kenny almost couldn't believe his eyes when he saw them acting like they were half their age.  
  
"Oh yeah!"  
  
Before anyone could stop him, Tyson ran towards the pool, pulling off his cap and jacket before diving in.  
  
"Tyson!" yelled someone that sounded an awful lot like Reni. "You got my hair wet!"  
  
::Bladebreakers o.O::  
  
"Swim faster!" advised someone else. A loud slap was heard. "Too late . . . "  
  
They arrived on the scene to see a furious Reni standing over Tyson, who was cowering and nursing a red cheek. Reni's hair was dripping wet, and her blood red eyes were practically glowing with anger.  
  
"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW LONG IT TAKES FOR ME TO WASH AND DRY MY HAIR?!"  
  
"That's one angry girl," remarked Max. Tyson looked positively petrified, while the rest of the Dark Angels were laughing uncontrollably.  
  
"Are you coming?" called Miyako after mastering her giggles. "Just don't wet Reni's hair."  
  
"IT'S ALREADY WET THANKS TO ONE BLUE-HAIRED FREAK!"  
  
"Hey!" protested Tyson.  
  
"We'll be back," said Rei as him Kenny and Max disappeared back into the rooms.  
  
"Don't leave me alone with them!" yelled Tyson.  
  
Kai smirked as he leaned against the wall. /Let's see Tyson get out of this one/  
  
They smiled as they slowly boxed Tyson into the middle of the pool.  
  
"Poor little Tyson," sang Meia with an evil grin. "Shouldn't have jump in, should he?"  
  
"Ahh!"  
  
~*~  
  
Kai, who was leaning against the wall, winced slightly at what they did.  
  
"Aww.isn't he adorable?" cooed Miyako, patting him on the head.  
  
They had pulled Tyson's hair out of its ponytail and plaited it into two pigtails, like how little girls did them.  
  
Max, Rei and Kenny reappeared dressed in bathers, Tyson and Kai's in a bag they had taken along. "What in the." Kenny's voice faded away as he stared at Tyson in astonishment.  
  
"Not a word," warned Tyson, both cheeks bright red.  
  
~*~  
  
Soon Rei, Kenny and Max joined them, until Kai was the only one not in the pool.  
  
Suddenly, Akai smiled mischievously. She whispered something to Meia, who giggled, and passed the message on to Reni and Miyako.  
  
Akai got out and went for her towel. Kai pointedly ignore her, staring firmly at the ground.  
  
"Aren't you coming in, Kai?" asked Meia.  
  
"..."  
  
"I wouldn't bother," advised Max. He turned to look at Kai and saw Akai sneaking closer towards him. He nudged Tyson, who grinned.  
  
"Hey Kai, come over here a minute," said Rei.  
  
With and annoyed grunt, he reluctantly left the wall and walked nearer to the pools edge. Big mistake.  
  
Sprinting forward with surprising speed, Akai threw her full weight against Kai, who under normal circumstances wouldn't have budged, but since he was heading in that direction . . .  
  
He landed into the pool with a huge splash, amidst laughter. Even Reni, who still looked sulky and was annoyed at her hair being wet again couldn't help smiling at the stunned look on Kai's normally expressionless face.  
  
As he resurfaced, with a now extremely irritated expression, Akai leapt into the pool and abruptly knocked him down again.  
  
"Akai . . . just a suggestion . . . but you might want to get away . . . right about NOW!" cautioned Kenny.  
  
When Kai stood up for the second time, he had a carefully blank expression.  
  
"Heh, heh . . . " Akai looked distinctly nervous and hid behind Max, who was conveniently close by.  
  
~*~ 


	8. Chapter 8:Tournament Nerves

Kurayami_Tenshi: ::sighs:: You know, even though I didn't get any reviews, I'm feeling happy . . . wanna know why?  
  
Mysterious voice: No, but I'm sure you'll tell me anyway.  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: That's not nice! ::pouts:: Anywayz, holidays are coming soon! In . . . ::checks watch:: five days! Whoo hoo!  
  
Mysterious voice: ::sweatdrop::  
  
Chapter 8 - Tournament Nerves  
  
As the day wore on, it began to grow steadily colder, despite the sun still shinning brightly. Well, almost everyone, Akai was doing her best to make sure she was at the other side of the pool from where ever Kai was.  
  
She was feeling particularly nervous, especially since he was eyeing her with a look of annoyance that clearly said she was dead if she got within striking distance. (A/N: not that Kai would actually 'hit' a girl . . . ::giggles:: he's way too much of a gentlemen!)  
  
"A-anyone cold?" enquired Miyako, teeth chattering.  
  
Meia looked at her with concern. "Go have a shower."  
  
She nodded and jumped out, disappearing down the stairs.  
  
"We should probably get going too," said Kenny. Everyone agreed.  
  
~*~  
  
As they entered the room, a voice could be heard singing an old children's rhyme.  
  
"Shower, shower, nice and warm. Shower, shower . . . "  
  
::Everyone sweat drop::  
  
"Miyako? We're back!" called Meia. Abruptly the singing stopped.  
  
"Why didn't you say anything?!" suddenly shrieked Miyako after the moment of stunned silence was broken.  
  
"Calm down," ordered Reni flatly.  
  
"It's only you guys, right? I mean, Rei and all the others aren't here, are they?"  
  
Reni glanced at the Bladebreakers, who, minus Kai, were doing their best not to laugh out loud.  
  
"Just your day, isn't it Miyako?"  
  
"WHAT? THIS HAD BETTER NOT BE ONE OF YOUR TWISTED PRACTICAL JOKES, RENI."  
  
The Bladebreakers stared at Reni in amazement. She didn't seem to be the practical joke type person. Her face gave nothing away.  
  
"Uh . . . hi Miyako?" ventured Rei.  
  
There was silence save for the sound of a door sliding.  
  
Miyako appeared, her face flushed from the water. She was wrapped in a blue bathrobe and had a towel around her hair. She blushed.  
  
"Hi . . . "  
  
~*~  
  
When everyone had taken a shower, they all assembled in the 'room'.  
  
"Tournament's tomorrow," declared Max with his usual bouncy attitude.  
  
"And we're going to win."  
  
"We shall see," answered Meia simply.  
  
Reni threw Tyson a dirty look; her hair, although had been shampooed and conditioned several times still looked 'filthy'. At least according to her. To anyone else, the ebony locks were practically shimmering under the lights.  
  
"How are the Elimination tournaments like?" asked Kenny.  
  
"Well . . . "  
  
"It's hard to explain. Besides, just because you're with the champion team doesn't mean we're going to tell you everything," interrupted Miyako. "Or . . . how much is this information worth to you?" she added, a sparkle in her eyes.  
  
Kenny gave one of his exasperated 'Kenny' exclamations.  
  
"Somebody's uptight today," remarked Dizzy dryly. She hadn't been in a very good mood; Kenny had left her on the bench when he had joined the others in the pool.  
  
"You're laptop talks?!" exclaimed Akai, hopping down on the bed and nearly squashing Rei in the process, as well as knocking over the bedside lamp, which would have smashed into pieces if Reni had slow reflexes. "Oops . . . "  
  
She knelt beside Kenny, who blushed, and stared intently at the screen.  
  
"Hi!" said Akai, smiling at Dizzy.  
  
"Hi," replied Dizzy. Much to everyone's surprise, Dizzy had lost her sarcastic tone, and had a bitter touch to her word.  
  
"Dizzy? This is Akai," introduced Kenny, still blushing. Tyson grinned at Kenny. "Aww.Kenny's got a crush on Akai!"  
  
"I do not," snapped back Kenny, blushing even redder.  
  
Akai cocked her head slightly, and hopped back onto the bed, again using Rei as a live step. "Hey!"  
  
She smiled cutely at him before plopping down.  
  
"Well, good luck in the tournament tomorrow," said Meia sincerely.  
  
"You're going to need it," added Reni, a smirk on her face.  
  
~*~  
  
Kenny's POV  
  
/What if we lose in the first few rounds of the tournament? The Bladebreakers reputation will be destroyed./  
  
And what if your head explodes because you're thinking too much a sarcastic voice in the back of his head sneered.  
  
/Argh!/  
  
Kenny stared at the white ceiling for inspiration. /Well.I guess we'll find out tomorrow how everything's gonna end. I wish we had more time to train though./  
  
~The Next Morning~  
  
"Tyson, get up! Now!"  
  
Mumbling something incoherent, Tyson turned over, burying his head further into the pillow.  
  
Kenny groaned and prodded him again, earning a twitch for his troubles. "Come on! We're going to be late . . . " /Why me? Why couldn't Rei or Max wake him up/  
  
Even Kenny knew it was too much to hope for, for Kai to come and wake Tyson up.  
  
"Good morning Kenny!" sang Akai happily, bounding up to him.  
  
Kenny blushed. "H-hi Akai."  
  
Akai glanced at Tyson, who had curled up within his blankets and ducked under the pillow like it was a shield against having to wake up.  
  
"Well . . . if you really can't wake him, ask Miyako to help. Or if he still won't get up, get Reni. But as a really, really, last resort . . . bye!"  
  
She practically danced into the kitchen, where Kenny heard Reni tell her off for trying to jump onto the table.  
  
Sighing, Kenny stared dreamily into space for a while. Until he heard Meia order the Dark Angels out.  
  
"Ahhhh!" he growled in frustration, wondering if he should hit Tyson over the head with a lamp or something.  
  
~*~  
  
Rei waved to the Dark Angels as they left the room. He stared at Drigger, studying the perfect, tiny picture of his bit-beast embedded onto the bit- chip of his top, flashing in the morning sun. /Well, I guess this is it. I wonder how we'll go in it . . . /  
  
"Morning Kai," he said as the silent member of the Bladebreakers team appeared.  
  
Kai nodded in reply, before staring at the pile of food and dishes left behind. /Not again/  
  
~*~ Kenny picked up the lamp, contemplating it when Max walked in.  
  
"Morning Kenny. What're you doing with that lamp?"  
  
"Uh, nothing," stammered Kenny, putting it down. "Say, could you get Tyson up for me? I've got some things to do." He quickly left before Max could reply.  
  
Shrugging, Max prodded Tyson. "Tyson? Wake up!"  
  
Tyson growled, when Max decided to drag him out of bed, asleep or not.  
~*~  
  
Mysterious voice: ::holding hands over ears:: Make it stop, make it stop, make it stop . . .  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: . . . yeah, and then after that we'll be having this great reunion thing, right, as well as . . .  
  
Mysterious voice: Please R&R . . . MAKE IT STOP! AHHHHHH ::runs away::  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: Hey! You haven't heard about what happened the other day! ::runs after Mysterious voice::  
  
Mysterious voice: I don't want to! ::from far away:: 


	9. Chapter 9:Learning the Ropes

Kurayami_Tenshi: I'm so happy! I got reviews! Yeah, anyone who uses hotmail knows how the set out thingy's changed right? Well, they didn't tell me when I had reviews! So thank you to you guys who reviewed! It really means heaps to me. ::teary eyed::  
  
Mysterious voice: ::rolls eyes:: When you don't have reviews, you cry, when you have reviews, you cry. Make up your mind already!  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: ::glares at Mysterious voice:: Anywayz, reviews! Thank you to Krayon, SilverWingPhoenix and Reyoko! ::hugs:: Love you guys!  
  
Mysterious voice: Ahh! She's infected them!  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: ::vein throbs in head but carefully ignores comment:: Don't worry Krayon, there 'should' be more blading coming up soon. ^_^ Heh, I believe you're right, she probably is dead, or 'would' be, if I didn't need her in the story! Thanks for the comment! ::hugs::  
  
Mysterious voice: She's infected you again! Run everyone! ::runs away somewhere::  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: ::face starts to turn red:: ANYWAY . . . thanks for reviewing SilverWingPhoenix . . . really loved the comment! So to the point! ^_~ ::hu-::  
  
Mysterious voice: ::from far, far away:: Quick, run while you can!  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: ::takes a deep breath and smiles:: Yeah, I love Tyson just the way he is, and I'm really glad you like it Reyoko! Thanks!  
  
Mysterious voice: At the rate you're going, your author notes're gonna be longer than the chapter . . . that's it! And here's the next chapter! ::ducks a dictionary that flew through the air::  
  
~*~  
  
Chapter 9 - Learning the Ropes  
  
"I love tournaments," sighed Miyako. "Especially all those cute guys that show up," she added dreamily.  
  
Reni snorted, a strange sound coming from such a serious person.  
  
"Aww . . . c'mon Reni, lighten up," joked Miyako lightly. "We'll have to hook you up with someone."  
  
"Here we are," announced Meia, staring up at the large, pale blue building, with the letters 'ETA' painted in bright red paint.  
  
"Alright!"  
  
~*~  
  
After the hassle of getting everyone ready, the Bladebreakers stood at the entrance of the tournament building.  
  
"Boys! Over here," called Mr Dickinson.  
  
They turned to see him standing near the doorway.  
  
"Hey Mr D," replied Tyson, who was looking incredibly awake, contrary to what he was a mere 10 minutes ago.  
  
"Come on. You're already late . . . "  
  
Kenny glared at Tyson who grinned sheepishly.  
  
~*~  
  
"Welcome, girls. You'll all have to go to the warm up room. I'm sure you all know where it is?"  
  
"Right," answered Akai brightly. "Let's go!"  
  
~*~  
  
"Okay, warm up room, warm up room . . . where exactly is the 'warm up room'?" groaned Kenny.  
  
"Here Chief," supplied Rei, gesturing to the room behind Kenny.  
  
"Oh."  
  
Rolling his eyes, Kai pushed open the door, to reveal only about 80 people in an enormous room, accenting the fact that there were so few people entering.  
  
"This should be a pushover," said Tyson arrogantly, seeing the few people.  
  
"Will it?"  
  
The Bladebreakers turned to face a boy around their own age. He was around the same height as Tyson, but with a more solid build, with a lightly tanned face framed with chestnut coloured hair.  
  
"And who do you think you are anyway? It's obvious you haven't been here before."  
  
Tyson smirked. "I'm Tyson, current world champion. And you are?"  
  
The boy sneered. "You? Tyson? Please, like you are Tyson. And I'm a dog."  
  
Sapphire eyes narrowed dangerously. "Say what?"  
  
"What's going on here? David, you aren't insulting my friend, are you?" a voice asked pleasantly.  
  
"M-Miyako??? You know him?"  
  
The boy visibly backed away, admiration in his hazel eyes.  
  
Miyako smiled sweetly at him. "David, David, David," she said, shaking her head. "You know, you should check before you accuse someone of something. So, why don't you go chase your tail, doggy?"  
  
Smiling, she turned to face the Bladebreakers. "Hi. Please, take a seat," she said, pointing to a bench near the back of the room. "Akai will be announcing you shortly. To make sure this kind of thing doesn't happen."  
  
With that, she disappeared back into the crowd of people.  
  
Rei made his way to the bench, when a grey blade sped past, nearly hitting his head. They head a voice, sounding very familiar, yelling as the blade was hurriedly recalled.  
  
Once they were all seated on the bench, the head a hush as everyone else crowded onto the benches. The boys in the room pushed their way to the front seats.  
  
"Hi everyone! I think you all know me, so I won't waste time with introductions. I'm just here to introduce the Bladebreakers, current world champions in the normal tournaments, who have been specially invited to compete! Kai, as team captain, would you like to make the introductions?" Akai looked expectantly at him, until he reluctantly got up and made his way over, followed by the rest of the Bladebreakers.  
  
"So these are the Bladebreakers . . . "  
  
"Don't look like much to me . . . "  
  
"Oh my god, doesn't he look . . . "  
  
"I bet I could take them on . . . "  
  
"We'll see . . . they're supposed to be really good . . . "  
  
Tyson grinned, loving the attention.  
  
Sighing, Kai turned and faced the small crowd of people. However at the last minute, he gestured for Tyson to take over.  
  
"What? Oh. Hey! We're the . . . "  
  
~*~  
  
After Tyson finished, the room was very quiet, save the occasional whispering.  
  
"Silence."  
  
Immediately the room was silent, except for the sharp clicking of heeled shoes.  
  
A woman entered, her long, copper coloured hair loosely bound back off here face. She was tall, with an imposing aura, which marked her as a leader.  
  
As she reached where Akai and the Bladebreakers were, she surveyed them with a cold glance, green coloured eyes hard.  
  
After a while, she nodded, giving the feeling that they had passed some kind of test. Akai still had a happy expression on her face as she beamed at the woman.  
  
"Hi!"  
  
The woman nodded dispassionately before turning to face the rest of the room.  
  
"Welcome everyone to the Elimination Tournaments. Before we begin, I would like to make a few things clear. I am sure most of you know that this particular tournament is very different from all the others you have entered, be it the traditional tournaments or tag teams. Here, it is extremely important that you train very hard, and show no mercy or else you mightn't as well not bother to enter. I am sure all of you here are excellent bladers; it may be of interest to some of you that we have run a background check on each and every one of you. However, is Kenny present in this room?"  
  
"Yeah," called a voice.  
  
"Y-yes," stammered Kenny nervously.  
  
"Not you, Kenny of the Dream Shatterers. You, Kenny of the Bladebreakers. You do not blade?"  
  
"Well . . . sometimes," said Kenny.  
  
"You realise that this is a blading competition?"  
  
"Yes, but I . . . "  
  
"And that you do not blade professionally?"  
  
"No, I actually . . . "  
  
"Exactly. What are you doing here?"  
  
"Hey! Leave Kenny alone, he's part of our team," said Tyson defensively.  
  
The woman turned and stared at Tyson, who glared back defiantly.  
  
"Ah yes, Tyson of the Bladebreakers. You should tell your friend, that blading is dangerous business, if you get hurt because you don't have a blade; it is not the responsibility of the ETA to make sure he stays safe. Understood?"  
  
"Dr. Caroline, I'm sure Kenny'll be fine."  
  
Everyone turned to face Meia.  
  
"He's part of the Bladebreakers. They'll take care of him. If not, we would be more than happy to-"  
  
"Meia, I understand your concern."  
  
Rei lifted an eyebrow at the softer tone used by Dr. Caroline. /So, she likes Meia the best/  
  
"However, it is solely the responsibility of the Bladebreakers to make sure their . . . team-mate stays in one piece. I'm sure you remembered how it was like last year when you first entered."  
  
"Yes, Dr. Caroline."  
  
Dr. Caroline nodded her head slightly. "Everyone, I will not wish you luck on this tournament, because luck has no place in the Elimination Tournaments. Every victory is granted by skill, and skill alone. That is all."  
  
She pivoted and left the room.  
  
~*~  
  
Mysterious voice: ::dodges all the objects flying towards him::  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: Thank you for reading! Please R&R if you can, and thanks again to everyone that has! ::throws more objects:: 


	10. Chapter 10:Reni's Got a Soft Side?

Kurayami_Tenshi: Whee! I got some reviews! YAY! ::hugs reviewers:: I love you guyz!  
  
Mysterious voice: Here she goes again . . . someone save me! PLEASE!!!  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: ::glares:: Anyway, thanks for reviewing SilverWingPhoenix and Sara() !  
  
Mysterious voice: And it goes on and on and on . . .  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: What are you calling 'it'?! Thanks for your comment SilverWingPhoenix, still so to the point! Go you!  
  
Mysterious voice: At least its not hugging any more. . .  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: ::smile looks strained:: Happy to know you like the fic so far, and glad you're interested! Hope all of you guyz like this chappy!  
  
~*~  
  
Chapter 10 -Reni's got a Soft Side?  
  
"Well, what do you think of that?" Rei asked, turning to the rest of his team.  
  
Kai shrugged nonchalantly, but his eyes gave away the fact that he was thinking deeply about Dr. Caroline's words.  
  
"Sounds like it's gonna be hard," offered Max.  
  
"Oh, it is Max, that it is."  
  
They turned to see David strolling up to them, along with the rest of his team.  
  
"Well, well, if it isn't the dog," said Tyson with a grin.  
  
"Tyson," warned Kenny, when a oak-brown blade nearly struck Dizzy. "Ahh!"  
  
The boy who had launched it smirked as the blade flew back into his hand. He looked more around Kai and Rei's age than the other Bladebreakers, and his face, although handsome, was marked with an expression of cruelty as he watched Kenny's face pale as he looked around for the blade.  
  
David laughed, hitting the other boy's back in friendly comradeship. "Good one Henry. Scared the little thing."  
  
The only girl of their team, a slender, fragile looking person, had a look of slight interest on her face as she looked at them.  
  
"What was that for?" demanded Max.  
  
"Want to make something of it, pretty boy?" sneered Henry.  
  
"You're on," replied Max, pulling out his launcher and snapping Draciel onto it.  
  
"Max . . ." began Kenny, but Max turned and gave him one of his famous carefree grins.  
  
With a superior smirk, Henry drew out his blade and snapped it onto his own launcher, holding it in ready position. "Ready to lose, pretty boy?"  
  
Max didn't reply as he stepped up to one of the large dishes. Henry stood opposite him.  
  
"Okay, get ready. 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . let it rip!" yelled Tyson.  
  
As soon as had touched the dish, Henry's blade rushed forward to crash into it, the force of the connection nearly ending the match then and there. However, Draciel managed to stay in the dish, wobbling dangerously.  
  
"Pathetic," snorted Henry. "You think you're going to survive with that defence? Let me show you what you'll be up against, if you get past the cuts. Go Plantaniom!"  
  
The brown blade glowed faintly before charging up against Draciel again, pushing it dangerously close to the edge of the dish.  
  
"Max! Watch out!" warned Rei.  
  
Max's blue eyes narrowed in concentration as he focused on keeping Draciel spinning. "I . . . will . . . not . . . lose . . ."  
  
"Dizzy, give me the data on Henry's blade. Quickly!" said Kenny urgently to his laptop.  
  
"Sorry Chief, there's some kind of firewall on his blade that's stopping me from scanning it."  
  
"What?!"  
  
David smiled at Kenny, speaking in a patronising tone of voice. "Now, now Kenny, don't get mad at your little piece of junk. We've put a micro chip into our blades, so data-collecting freaks like you don't win by finding out our weak spots."  
  
"Watch it," snapped Kai suddenly, when Max and turned to listen to their conversation. Henry had immediately taken the opening and smashed hard into Draciel again.  
  
"I don't know about Henry's blade, Chief, but Draciel can't take much more of a beating like that," said Dizzy.  
  
"Plantaniom, finish him off!" shouted Henry as a tree-like bit beast came out from his blade.  
  
Its large leaves stretched out to the roof of the warm-up room, and its thick roots were easily as wide as Draciel's arm. It whipped one of those roots out, a bright flash lighting up the room momentarily it struck Max's blade.  
  
"Go Draciel," yelled Max, as Draciel rose up from the blade. Draciel caught up the roots and wrestled back against Plantaniom, gaining ground from the brink of defeat. The struggle went on for only a few seconds more then, before Draciel knocked Plantaniom from the dish.  
  
"Nooo!" howled Henry, falling down onto his knees next to his fallen blade.  
  
Max caught Draciel and jumped off the dish. Unseen by anyone, the some of the Dark Angels slipped out the door.  
  
"Oh yeah! You go Maxi!" cheered Tyson enthusiastically.  
  
Max grinned.  
  
~*~  
  
"That was very foolish of Max," commented Reni dryly.  
  
"Aww c'mon Reni, surely that must've impressed you! I mean, a guy who fights to defend one of his friends! And to top it off, he is kinda cute, you know."  
  
Reni rolled her eyes. "Unlike you, Miyako, looks mean nothing to me. And he should not have revealed his bit beast to Henry, and anyone else who saw that match."  
  
Miyako sighed. Then she eyed her teammate closely. "So you really don't like him?"  
  
"Who said anything about that? We have no time to be involved in 'relationships'."  
  
"Lighten up, will ya? C'mon, we're only 14! There's a looong road ahead of us."  
  
"Exactly. Which is why we must not waste time now on the Bladebreakers. Like every other person in the room, they are our opponents, and shall be treated as such."  
  
"You weren't like this yesterday . . ."  
  
~*Flashback*~  
  
Middle of the night.  
  
Reni got out of bed and stood at the balcony overlooking the town. She sighed, relaxing her shield she had erected around herself to keep other people out. Her eyes, normally like two icy chips of polished jewels, softened into a gentle garnet as she looked at the town.  
  
It was a very peaceful and quiet, the town lite by small lights in the streets. Except for someone snoring, probably that stupid Tyson, her hand unconsciously reached up to touch her hair to check if it was still wet, it was silent.  
  
"Hey Reni."  
  
Reni turned sharply, slamming her shield back on. However, she relaxed again when she saw Miyako yawning sleepily.  
  
"Shouldn't you be asleep or something?" Even her voice was different, a softer sound that lost its usual harshness.  
  
Miyako shrugged nonchalantly. "Meh. Whatever. So, what brings you out here?"  
  
"Just thinking."  
  
"Ah. Well . . . anything you want to talk about? Any guy problems?" she asked jokingly, and was surprised when Reni replied.  
  
"Actually . . . yes."  
  
Miyako waited, knowing Reni would reply when she was ready. She wasn't one to leave people hanging.  
  
"You know . . . I don't think this person . . . will ever like me back. Because . . . well, we're too different."  
  
"Well, they say opposites attract," said Miyako with a light laugh.  
  
"Yes . . . well . . ." her voice shook slightly with uncertainty. Something else she would never have let 'outsiders' know about.  
  
"C'mon girl. If you see something you like, go for it. It's not like you're ugly and guys'll run away screaming or something."  
  
"Yeah . . . maybe."  
  
~*End Flashback*~  
  
"That was then," said Reni. "Before a tournament. Forced to share a room with a group of idiots."  
  
Miyako sighed. "You really should-"  
  
"Miyako! Reni! You guys out here?" called Akai. Soon she came into view, smiling and waving. "Come on. You know Max's battle, right? I thought he was going to lose for sure!" Then she grew serious. "Henry . . . isn't very happy. I mean, he was just demeaned in front of his team and everyone. I'm worried he'll ask for a blood battle."  
  
"Poor Max, then," replied Reni coldly.  
  
~*~  
  
Mysterious voice: And there you have it. Another pointless, utterly . . .  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: ::covers Mysterious voice's mouth:: Yeah, so, anyone reading . . . reviews are greatly appreciated. ^_^ 


	11. Chapter 11:I Hate My Emotions

Kurayami_Tenshi: Whee! Hope everyone had a happy new year! ::beams around::  
  
Mysterious voice: They probably did, since you weren't around.  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: ::snorts:: Anyway, thank you to Hunter-Kasumi, yuii and Marochre Iatrone for reviewing! It really means a lot to me!  
  
Mysterious voice: Young ladies aren't meant to snort!  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: Yes, the tournament 'should' be starting soon, so please keep reading Hunter-Kasumi, happy to hear you like it!  
  
Mysterious voice: Stop ignoring me!  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: Very, very serious, yuii, as you will soon see, ::laughs evilly then run out of air and chokes::  
  
Mysterious voice: It's a sign! It's evil! Evil I tell you!  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: Hope you like the rest of it, Marochre Iatrone, hope you don't get too busted . . . ::sweatdrop::  
  
Mysterious voice: Here's the fic!  
  
~*~  
  
Chapter 11 - I Hate my Emotions  
  
Henry glared at Max who was grinning at his team. /Max Tate . . . I will make it my mission to make sure you won't get past the cuts to the finals . . . by any means necessary."  
  
David gave Henry a look that clearly said 'you're pathetic', and turned away, folding his arms.  
  
"Good match," said Max, holding out his hand with a friendly smile. However, he had an expression of surprise on his face when Henry shoved his hand away and stalked off. David followed, the third member of the team trailing behind while the girl stood back, after a quick glance at Henry.  
  
"Don't mind about them," she said with a laugh. "They hate losing. By the way, I'm Cassandra. But you can call me Cassie," she added, batting her heavily made up lashes.  
  
Her chestnut-brown hair looked artificially shiny, like she had layered heaps of that 'natural shine' dye on it, and there was a ring of hazel- coloured iris where her coloured contacts weren't quite covering over them.  
  
"Hi, I'm Max," repeated Max, holding out his hand. Cassie took it just as the Dark Angels came over.  
  
"Well done Max," said Meia with a dazzling smile, as the rest of them crowded around.  
  
Akai cheered enthusiastically, causing Kai to wince with her not-so-quiet voice sounding a little too close to him for comfort. Spinning around, Akai caught sight of him grimacing and giggled, seriously pissing him off even more.  
  
Miyako nudged Reni, who was standing with a carefully blank expression on her face.  
  
"Okay! Anyone wanna come with us to go see the tournament board?" she asked.  
  
Tyson, Rei, Max and Kenny agreed to go, while Kai looked . . . well, he wasn't showing as much enthusiasm as everyone else.  
  
"Let's go then!"  
  
~*~  
  
"Hmm, lets see . . . HEY! Where's our team name?!" wailed Akai after reading the board.  
  
::Bladebreakers and Dark Angels sweat drop::  
  
"Akai . . . we don't have to battle until the finals . . ." informed Meia calmly, like this kind of thing happened often. Which it probably did, knowing Akai . . .  
  
"Oh." Akai beamed. "That's okay then. Who are you up against?" she asked Kenny, who blushed. (A/N: aww . . . isn't that sweet???)  
  
"Uh, um . . ."  
  
"We're up against the Dream Shatters," replied Rei.  
  
"The Dream Shatters?" Miyako echoed thoughtfully. "Oh, they've got some pretty cute guys on that team, don't they Reni?"  
  
Reni glared at Miyako, who smiled cheerfully. /What does it take to get her to smile sometimes/  
  
"So, Cassie, who's your team against?" asked Max, noticing that she wasn't saying much.  
  
However, upon hearing him speak to her, she smiled, lashes fluttering as she sidled up closer to him.  
  
"Let me see," said Cassie in a breathy voice. "Um . . . oh my gosh, I can't find my team!" she said with a little laugh.  
  
"Maybe if you look harder you'll find it," snapped Reni impatiently. /Instead of flirting and using Max as a live pole . . ./  
  
Cassie gave Reni a dirty look, which she promptly returned, only ten times as mean looking. Yup, Reni had one of the most evil glares.  
  
"Hey, give me back my cap!" yelled Tyson, chasing after Akai, who was laughing and running as fast as she could before seeing Tyson catching up and tossing the cap to Meia, who failed to see it and was whacked in the face.  
  
"Sorry!" called Akai, dodging away from Tyson, and nearly tripping over. Meia suddenly grinned, and sprinted off down the corridor with it, Tyson changing course and running after her instead.  
  
/Man, she's fast/  
  
~*~  
  
Once Tyson had retrieved his hat, him and Meia returned to find Reni and Cassie still glaring at each other.  
  
Tyson turned and was about to ask Meia what Reni was so pissed off about, when he saw her giving Cassie a sharp look too. She looked angry, not an emotion one would normally find on the calm blader.  
  
"What's up with the girl and Reni?"  
  
"Cassie's with the Nightmares. You know, David, Henry and Jeremy. They blade low in competitions, they play to win, and they don't care how they do it. Cassie messes with people's minds, like what she's trying to do with Max now."  
  
Cassie laughed, a shrill, piercing sound. "Reni, hun, don't waste your time here. You go stick with what you're good at, 'k? Cause there's no way you're going to win this battle sweetie."  
  
Reni's eyes narrowed into two slits of red, flashing dangerously.  
  
With a sharp, angry movement, she had launched Garnet, who sliced across the wall, leaving a deep indent where she had been, before flying precariously close to Cassie, who screamed and grabbed Max's arm.  
  
"Next time I won't miss," said Reni in a pleasant voice, which the Dark Angels recognised as her most dangerous one.  
  
Akai, who had been bugging Kai to smile, turned and saw Reni struggling to hold her temper. Her face serious, she nodded to Miyako and Meia, who inclined their heads and looked at Reni, who saw them.  
  
Almost in time with each other, they spun around and left, leaving the Bladebreakers and Cassie behind.  
  
~*~  
  
"What was that all about?" inquired Tyson, glancing at Cassie, who had reverted back to the girl who flirted outrageously.  
  
"Huh? Oh, don't worry about her. She's always really grumpy and snaps at everyone like she's the queen or something."  
  
Rei looked uncomfortable at the abrupt departure of the Dark Angels, his golden eyes unsettled.  
  
"We're going to do some training. We have no idea what the Dream Shatters can do," said Kai, his cold voice snapping everyone to attention.  
  
"Right. Hey Cassie, you want to come with us?" asked Max innocently, not noticing Rei and Kai exchanged a glance that said 'Why is Max so clueless?'  
  
~*~  
  
/Stupid emotions, stupid emotions, stupid emotions . . ./  
  
Meia looked at Reni who was smiling 'happily' as she launched her blade into the dish. Garnet landed in the dish with the same gracefulness has normal, but left deep gashes marking where she had been. Moments later, the dish shattered.  
  
/This is bad, really, really, bad/  
  
"Reni, get a hold of yourself," snapped Miyako harshly, launching Sapphire into the shattered dish and colliding with Garnet. "This is no way to act."  
  
Akai, who had been standing quietly at the side, a most unusual thing for her, had a blank expression as she stared at the door.  
  
Kenny entered first, looking very edgy as he nervously eyed the broken dish. He flipped Dizzy open and scanned Reni's blade.  
  
"Whoa, someone's been eating too much chilli," remarked Dizzy.  
  
"Dizzy!" exclaimed Kenny in a hushed voice.  
  
Tyson followed with Rei and Kai, Max was behind with Cassie.  
  
"Hey everyone," greeted Max cheerfully.  
  
"Cassandra."  
  
Cassie looked to see Akai standing in front of her. Akai's eyes had a glint in them that wasn't the usual 'Akai' gleam.  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
Smiling disarmingly, Akai spoke in the same forced pleasantness that Reni did.  
  
"Oh, you just insulted my team mate, and, oh, I don't know, mess with people just to win."  
  
Cassie's eyes narrowed too.  
  
"Hey, calm down," said Rei, attempting to break up the would-be fight, but he was ignored.  
  
"Want to fight, bitch?" she snarled, bringing out her own blade, a sickeningly hot pink colour with red markings, with a small bird bit-beast.  
  
Akai smiled.  
  
~*~  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: Whee! Done! Hope you all liked it! ::dances around and grabs Mysterious voice to waltz around::  
  
Mysterious voice: Stupid DDR mats . . .  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: Please R&R anyone who's reading! ::smiles:: 


	12. Chapter 12:I Always Fight My Own Battles

Kurayami_Tenshi: Whee! Holidays! Ahem. Yes, thank you candy() and Hunter- Kasumi for reviewing! Yeah . . .^_^  
  
Mysterious voice: ::yawn::  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: I'm glad you think so candy(), ^_^ Thanks so much.  
  
Mysterious voice: ::sleeps::  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: Heh . . . that's all she seems good for, huh? Well, everyone, please keep on reading, and I hope you like this chapter!  
  
Mysterious voice: ::wakes up:: On with the fic! ::sleeps::  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: ::glare::  
  
~*~  
  
Chapter 12 - I Always Fight my own Battles  
  
Taking out her own blade, Akai glanced fondly at Emerald, who glowed a soft shade of green in her hand.  
  
Kai looked a little startled. /Was it just me, or did her blade just glow?!/ He stared closely at Emerald, who returned back to normal.  
  
"Kenny, get a scan on Akai's blade," said Kai.  
  
Kenny threw Kai a surprised look. "Kai, I always scan blades."  
  
Kai glared at Kenny, who visible cowered away.  
  
Max was looking distinctly uncomfortable, somehow sensing that he was the cause of the battle. Rei put his hand on Max's shoulder and gave a comforting grin.  
  
"Ready?" Cassie snapped, snapping her blade onto her launcher.  
  
Akai nodded, a smile on her face. Despite the situation, she still loved blading.  
  
Tyson ran up to the edge of the dis. "Okay, your guys-uh, girls ready? 3 . . . 2 . . ."  
  
"Hold it."  
  
Reni stepped up and whispered something to Akai, who smiled happily and hugged her. Reni looked annoyed and pushed her away.  
  
"What the hell is going on here?" snarled Cassie impatiently,  
  
"I'm battling you," said Reni calmly.  
  
Cassie shrugged. "Whatever."  
  
Tyson glanced at one girl to the other, before starting the count down again. "Okay, 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . Let It Rip!"  
  
The two blades smashed into each other with terrifying force, but within seconds, it was obvious that Cassie didn't stand a chance against Reni who always kept her cool in a battle, despite the dangerous flame behind her fiery red eyes.  
  
Cassie growled, and fell into most of Reni's traps. Soon, her blade was losing momentum and wobbling dangerously.  
  
"Go Rosethorn!" she screamed, as what looked like a rose with a face peeping out between the pale pink petals and wickedly sharp thorns, came out of her blade.  
  
Reni rolled her eyes. "Garnet, finish her off," she said in a bored sounding voice.  
  
Garnet swooped in and knocked Rosethorn out of the dish with frightening ease, the pink blade soaring out of the dish to land several metres away.  
  
"Oh . . ." Cassie stared at her blade with tears in her eyes. "You . . . destroyed my blade!"  
  
"Guys, look at this," hissed Kenny urgently. He shoved Dizzy in front of the Bladebreakers, who stared at the table of statistics. "Reni's blade's even . . . stronger that Miyako's . . ."  
  
Rei's eyes widened. He had lost to Miyako, who didn't seem to be trying, but at least he felt that he stood a chance against her. Reni . . . well, if the results were true, then there was no way he would stand a chance against her.  
  
"Whoo hoo! You go Reni!" yelled Akai loudly, causing everyone in the room to wince.  
  
Reni held out her hand, catching Garnet. She nodded, the smile leaving her face as she disappeared out of the room.  
  
Miyako and Meia nodded politely to the people left in the room and vanished.  
  
Akai was going to bounce after them, but she turned at the door and smiled. "Good luck in your battle. Hope to meet you in the finals!" she sang, before bounding away.  
  
~*~  
  
"Whoa . . .I think we have our work cut out . . ." breathed Max, staring at the stats with undisguised shock.  
  
Cassie picked up the blade, which its attack ring broken into several pieces and sauntered over to Max, causally dropping an arm over his shoulder. Glancing at the stats, she shrugged nonchalantly.  
  
"Nothing to worry about, hun."  
  
Tyson looked at her incredulously.  
  
"Uh, in case you forgot, you just kinda lost . . ." he trailed off as Cassie eyed him dangerously before bursting into tears and running out of the room.  
  
"TYSON!" yelled Max, glaring at his one of his best friends. "What'd you do that for?"  
  
Leaving a stunned Tyson behind, he rushed out after Cassie.  
  
"Leave him," instructed Kai coldly, holding onto the back of Tyson's jacket. "He'll find out what she is soon enough."  
  
~*~  
  
The Dark Angels were unusually silent on their trip back to the hotel. As far as they could tell, the reaction Reni had to Cassie could very well break apart their budding friendship with the Bladebreakers.  
  
But they knew better than to expect that their friend's problem would not carry over to the bey stadium, and she'll still play to her best.  
  
Staring blankly, Reni began collecting various things from the cupboards; a frypan, butter and a spatula.  
  
Meia raised an eyebrow. So, Reni was going to cook again. Ho hum.  
  
~*~  
  
Cassie sprinted down the corridor, knowing that Max would follow her after her 'tears'. She smirked as she carefully kept her head down, nearly crashing into a person walking past, who cursed loudly.  
  
"Cassie!" yelled Max as he dodged in between the people and tried to keep up. She was surprisingly fast and appeared to be quite athletic.  
  
After a while, she glanced over her shoulder to see Max falling behind, before ducking into a room and closing the door quickly.  
  
"Heh . . . Maxy's no match for me," she thought as she straightened her clothes before reporting to David.  
  
~*~  
  
"What's up with Max?" asked Rei to no one in particular.  
  
Kai snorted and launched Dranzer into a dish. /Time for some real training. There's no way I'm going to lose to a girl/  
  
Kenny scanned Dranzer, and wasn't too surprised when he found that his stats were actually quite close to Reni's. /Oh well. At least we stand a chance . . ./  
  
~*~  
  
Cassie pushed aside a curtain and found herself face to face with David, who inclined his head slightly.  
  
She smiled before beginning her report; that if she went up against Max, there was no way she could lose.  
  
~*~  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: Well . . . um . . . thanks for reading. Please R&R?  
  
Mysterious voice: ::snore:: 


	13. Chapter 13:Round 1Bladebreakers vs Dream...

Mysterious voice: ::hiding in cupboard holding a bag tightly::  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: I KNOW you're here! Give me back my rock candy! ::Stomps into room::  
  
Mysterious voice: ::discreetly opens bag and pops an 'object' into mouth::  
  
:Kurayami_Tenshi: Grr. . . anyway, onto more, happy things . . . thank you silverjustice1() for reviewing! ^_^ I'm glad you like it. Here's the next chappy you wanted!  
  
~*~  
  
Chapter 13 - Round 1 - Bladebreakers vs. Dream Shatters  
  
"Alright! Now we're finally gonna do some blading!" cheered Tyson as he and the rest of the Bladebreakers entered the arena. "I reckon this'll be an easy win."  
  
"Don't get too cocky Tyson," said Kai flatly, brushing past him to get to the waiting bench.  
  
Tyson shot a glare at the cold blader. "Look who's talking," he muttered as he followed Rei and Max to the bench. Kenny was already there, doing some last minute analysing with Dizzy.  
  
Just as they got there, the Dream Shatters entered through the other door and silently sat down. Like the Bladebreakers, they were an all boys team.  
  
They shot glances at the Bladebreakers, but offered no attempts at conversation, preferring to silently scrutinize the other team.  
  
"Oh man," groaned Tyson after several minutes of intense staring. "I feel like a guinea pig . . .what about you guys?"  
  
Before Rei could reply to Tyson, Dr. Caroline appeared on the balcony. The stadium was eerily quiet, the lack of a crowd and commentator really being obvious.  
  
Dr. Caroline swept a quick glance at the two teams, frowning when she saw Kenny. Kenny, who was busy setting up the scanning device on Dizzy didn't even notice that Dr. Caroline was staring at him until Max nudged him.  
  
"Wha-?"  
  
Looking up, he met the disapproving look and hurriedly looked away.  
  
"Kenny of the Bladebreakers, leave the stadium. We only allow bladers to wait on the benches," clipped Dr. Caroline curtly.  
  
The other Kenny smirked, before replacing the emotionless mask on his face.  
  
"But I have to-" began Kenny helplessly before he was once again cut off.  
  
"No. Leave now."  
  
"What's wrong with him being here?" protested Rei, only to be silenced with a furious glare.  
  
"LEAVE NOW!" yelled Dr. Caroline, running out of patience. She turned around when a soft static sound could be heard and talked quietly to someone who was apparently still hidden in the shadows at the back of the balcony. A sigh could be heard from the tiny microphone attached to the collar of her shirt.  
  
She turned back to face Kenny.  
  
"If I were you, I would thank your lucky stars that you have recently been sharing a room with one of the more . . . considerate teams," she began. "The Dark Angels are willing to put up with your presence in the balcony at the other side of the arena. She pointed to an identical balcony. "One of them will come down to make sure no . . . accidents will happen on the way."  
  
The Bladebreakers looked furious themselves when they heard this announcement. What was wrong with Kenny being here? The annual world tournaments didn't object to him being there.  
  
Soon Akai appeared. Smiling faintly, she gestured for Kenny to follow her.  
  
"Now that we have that little problem sorted out, let me explain the rules of this match. You are to split your team up into half. Make sure you choose your partner well. Do so now."  
  
The Bladebreakers stared at each other in disbelief. It was obvious that the Dream Shatters knew what was going to happen, for they were split up almost instantly.  
  
"Why didn't anyone tell us?" complained Tyson loudly.  
  
"Shut up Tyson," snapped Kai. /There is NO way I'm going with him/  
  
"How about we draw straws?" suggested Max, a spark coming back to his eyes.  
  
Rei looked amused. "That's . . ." he trailed off, laughing.  
  
Kai's auburn eyes narrowed. "This is no laughing matter, Rei," he rebuked. "You, of all people, I would have thought would have already known that."  
  
Rei looked annoyed at being told off, but ignored the less-than-friendly advice.  
  
Max produced four straws. "What do you say?"  
  
Tyson shrugged and drew a straw. It was small and cut in half.  
  
Rei was next. He drew a whole straw.  
  
Kai drew a half straw. /Oh good God, no/  
  
"Looks like I'm with you, Kai," said Tyson nervously. /He doesn't look happy at all . . ./  
  
Kai grunted and stalked back to the bench.  
  
"Are the Bladebreakers done yet?" came Dr.Caroline's voice, sounding impatient and annoyed.  
  
"Yeah," called back Tyson.  
  
"Very well. May the first pair step up to the dish."  
  
The Dream Shatters' first appeared on the dish, and they surveyed the Bladebreakers who once again were having another 'discussion'.  
  
"C'mon! We wanna go first, don't we, Kai?" Tyson turned to face the team captain, who shrugged dispassionately.  
  
"We're going first, Tyson," said Rei, and Max nodded in agreement.  
  
"Oh, alright," agreed Tyson reluctantly.  
  
"Have the Bladebreakers made their decision yet?" said Dr. Caroline in false sweetness.  
  
Max and Rei stepped onto the dish as a reply.  
  
"Good. Alright, now you two are going to be doing tag team blading. This mean s only one of you from one team can be in the dish at any time, except when the changeover takes place. Unlike your ordinary tag team, you have to knock your partner's blade out of the dish in order to change places. You may change over as many times as you wish. Goal is to knock your opponent out of the dish. Bladers, take your positions. 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . let it rip."  
  
Rei almost missed launching Drigger into the dish, Dr. Caroline was . . . less than enthusiastic about the launch off.  
  
He looked at his opponent, who actually looked rather friendly.  
  
"Hi," he said with a grin.  
  
His opponent smiled back. "Hi. Good luck in the match, Rei, but don't think I'll go easy on you, just 'cause you're new. I'm Kenny, by the way."  
  
Rei blinked. /Kenny? Oh that's right/  
  
"Go Drigger!" he yelled in reply. "Tiger Claw!"  
  
Digger dashed forward with the power of speed, clashing solidly against Kenny's blade, which was almost knocked out upon impact. However, at the last possible moment, his partner launched in his blade, knocking it out and leaving his own in its place.  
  
"Thanks John," said Kenny in relief. "See ya till I get back," he called as he left.  
  
~*~  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: Okay! The next part of the battle'll be revealed in the next chapter!  
  
Mysterious voice: Of course it will. Its 'the next chapter' ::very quietly:: oops . . .  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: Hah! I knew it! ::rips open cupboard:: My lollies! ::grabs them::  
  
Mysterious voice: Uh oh . . .  
  
Kurayami_Tenshi: Please R&R! And hoped you liked this chapter! ::turns to face Mysterious voice with evil gleam in eye:: 


End file.
